Akingboye’s Widow Breaks Silence, Denies Role in Husband’s Death, Reveals Years of Mental Health Struggle

Widow of the late Bamidele Akingboye, former Social Democratic Party (SDP) governorship candidate in the November 2024 Ondo State election, Mrs. Christy Akingboye, has publicly refuted allegations that she had any involvement in her husband’s death, describing the claims as cruel, false and deliberately designed to destroy her reputation and that of her children.

Speaking in Lagos, Christy recounted a turbulent five-year journey marked by her husband’s deteriorating mental health, political pressures and financial distress—factors she said collectively pushed him into a tragic spiral.

According to her, Bamidele was first diagnosed with bipolar manic disorder in 2019, a condition that triggered repeated bouts of severe mania, suicidal tendencies and unpredictable behaviour. She said the family made a conscious effort to keep the struggles private in order to protect his dignity, their children and grandchildren from stigma.

“He was my friend. I didn’t just lose a husband, I lost my better half,” she said, describing a deeply bonded marriage in which they shared almost everything.

Christy narrated how the family battled several frightening episodes.
“We went through two major episodes in 2019. My daughter even saved him from jumping off our balcony. Another time, in Dubai, the police had to take him to a psychiatric hospital,” she revealed.

She listed hospitals and specialists in Lagos, Dubai and Abuja who treated him at various points, saying the family spent years fighting to stabilise his condition while maintaining silence in public.

The widow explained that her husband’s mental health declined sharply under the strain of his political ambitions, heavy debts and sleepless nights associated with campaigning.
According to her, shortly before his death, Bamidele shared a long list of debts—some allegedly running into hundreds of millions of naira—and repeatedly voiced fears that creditors might involve law enforcement agencies.

Despite the mounting crisis, Christy said she initially refused to disclose his history of suicide attempts, including the final one that claimed his life, because she feared the cultural stigma associated with suicide and wanted to protect his political legacy.

“In our society, suicide is something people weaponise. I didn’t want my husband remembered that way,” she said.

Trouble within the family intensified after her stepson, Samuel Akingboye, accused her of killing his father.
Christy—who said she regarded Samuel as her own son—expressed shock over the accusation, lamenting that instead of stepping in to calm the situation after the tragedy, he chose “blackmail, fabrications and media attacks.”

According to her, Samuel circulated doctored photographs to falsely present a narrative of domestic abuse and murder.
To counter the allegations, Christy displayed what she said were the original mortuary photographs showing her late husband without cuts, bruises or any of the physical injuries claimed in the viral images.

“My hands are clean. God knows the truth. I have nothing to hide,” she said emotionally. “I fought for his life for years. His children saw the episodes, they know what happened. They all need therapy after this.”

She urged law enforcement agencies to prioritise her husband’s medical history and years of documented mental health battles, noting that only a thorough and fair review of his records would bring clarity and closure to the family.

Christy appealed for empathy and fairness as the family navigates the painful aftermath of losing a loved one while contending with public scrutiny and internal conflict.

@vanguard